To most Americans, George Washington is a remote figured encased in myth, more a monument than a man. This book brings him vividly to life once again -- a man who was born a loyal subject of the British Crown and became the leader of a radical revolution, a victorious military leader who relinquished the trappings of power to return to farming, a reluctant statesman who forged the institutions of a popular government that have endured for two centuries. The text is enhanced by illustrations that reproduce an array of original documents, contemporary portraits, artifacts, and personal memorabilia of Washington and her family. - Publisher.